In this episode of The Orita Podcast, Aaron Schwartz sits down with Rick Watson, Founder & CEO of RMW Commerce, for a deep dive into the real state of e-commerce, where omnichannel meets reality, and where growth meets gravity.

Together, they unpack:

• Breaking the legacy mold, how big brands modernize without losing what made them great

• The DTC ceiling, why even the best Shopify brands plateau at $100–150 M and what to do next

• Amazon vs. Walmart, who’s truly positioned to win the next decade of marketplace wars

• Omnichannel math, how to balance wholesale, retail, and DTC without killing your margins

• The enterprise trap, why many SaaS companies stall between $15K and $75K ACV

• The Renaissance CFO, how finance leaders quietly shape the new operator playbook

• AI & agents in commerce, what’s hype, what’s here, and how it will reshape service, marketing, and supply chain

If you’ve ever wondered how modern retail actually works, and what separates the brands that adapt from the ones that fade, this episode is your roadmap.

👥 Meet the guest Rick Watson, Founder & CEO, RMW Commerce Consulting

🎙 Hosted by Aaron Schwartz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Orita.ai

🎧 Chapters [00:00] Meet Rick Watson: The Guy Who’s Seen Every E-Commerce Playbook [02:34] Why Most “Growth Strategies” Fail Before They Start [05:21] The Hardest Shift in Commerce: From Legacy to Modern [07:56] The DTC Ceiling: Why $150M Is Where Most Brands Stall [10:27] Omnichannel Without Chaos: How Smart Brands Scale Profitably [12:56] Amazon, Walmart & the Marketplace Power Struggle [15:35] Retail Media Networks: The Hidden Goldmine in Commerce [18:12] Shopify’s Next Chapter and the Risks No One Talks About [25:26] Why Enterprise Brands Still Don’t Get Shopify (Yet) [27:20] The Rise of the Renaissance CFO: From Gatekeeper to Growth Partner [34:25] AI’s Real Role in Commerce: Beyond the Buzzwords [38:29] How Personalization Actually Builds Retention [42:42] The Two Currencies of Retail: Price vs. Trust [45:37] Final Thoughts and What’s Next for E-Commerce Operators

🌐 Check out Orita.ai for more episodes of The Orita Podcast, where we sit down with the most interesting operators, marketers, and founders in e-commerce to talk about what’s working right now. Hosted by the Orita team. Orita uses machine learning to help brands send smarter, more profitable marketing, by figuring out who actually wants to hear from you and when.

🚀 Get your free email audit from Orita, turn segments into superpowers: https://orita.ai

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple

📩 Subscribe for more founder‑grade retention intel